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Week Five: Halfway

It seems incredible that we are supposedly already at the halfway point regarding our renovations.

This week the weatherboards went up, windows started going in, and the back door was reinstated complete with a brand new lock and handle which matches our front door but which looks ridiculously out of place on the not-yet-painted-and-still-looking-like-the-old-door-that-it-is back door. Still it’s progress and I’m enjoying the prospect that one day in the not too distant future I will have my house back again - and then I’ll have to clean it again (not a totally unwelcome prospect - at least the first time). And I've given up hope of ever getting my backyard back - I have visions of future grandchildren learning to play cricket/hockey/soccer around the accumulated rubbish that is just going to get bigger and bigger as time goes on.

We went and chose glass for the fanlights above the windows, not at all surprised to learn that the original in the house is no longer produced. We returned home to discover that one room already has two different glass patterns and joked that we should have decided on two different patterns so that that particular room would have had four mismatched fanlights.

I went and chose a colour for the bench in my pantry and amazed the guy by saying I didn’t particularly care. In the end I agreed with his suggestion. I mean, who’s going to see it? On the plus side, I was able to introduce some blue into my kitchen and am feeling quite smug about that. I can just picture myself standing in front of the pantry with both doors wide open admiring my bench top with its specks of blue!

I saw my china cabinet in progress and fell in love with it. The design is ours but we seemed to have had difficulty explaining the concept to others. This joiner seems to have caught on to what we want and I’m pleased to say that it’s going to look great! It’s being made from recycled rimu (red pine) that had been sitting in our garage for at least the last ten years. DH used some of it when he built our bathroom vanity and thinks he has saved enough for the second bathroom vanity. It’s nice to see it being used again.

I’ve had my moments (as when I came home and discovered that the tuna and pasta dish I had put in the slow cooker had turned into a cold gluggy mess and not the hot filling dish I had hoped for) but we have been spared the worst of the horror stories as regards renovating one’s home.

We’ve heard that it’s one of the worst things you can live through but apart from the inconvenience of having to cook in a makeshift kitchen, it’s not been at all bad. The builder’s guys are quiet and respectful, and I’ve only had half a house to clean at a time when I really haven’t had time for cleaning. Can’t complain about that.

Just this past week there was another horror story on television: a builder who had taken the couple’s money and left them with an unfinished house that had been badly renovated and a contract that was meaningless. We chose a builder who is a personal friend and an elder in our church, realising that this could have its pitfalls (what if it turns our badly – would we say anything to a friend?) but also aware that professionally and in the church he is well respected and that that must count for something.

So what will this next week bring? A few less holes to let the cold in would be nice but other than that, I’ll leave it up to the builders!

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Welcome to my Blog. I'm "Jules": Christian, wife, mother, grandmother, early childhood teacher, writer, wannabe musician, quilter, and knitter. Born in Australia, I now make my home in New Zealand where I enjoy spending time outdoors and with my family, which now includes five handsome sons, three beautiful daughters-in-law, and seven absolutely gorgeous granddaughters.